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trail running holidays overseas and professional running coachingFri, 10 Apr 2020 10:49:23 +0000en-GB
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3232113094647Running solohttp://focusedperformance.co.uk/runningsolo/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=runningsolo
http://focusedperformance.co.uk/runningsolo/#respondWed, 08 Apr 2020 17:16:20 +0000http://focusedperformance.co.uk/?p=4660We’re in challenging times. It’s something of a catchphrase for Spring 2020 (open-ended of course)! For us runners though it’s not so easy to pop a catch-all catchphrase on to how the lock down is affecting us and our individual and collective psyches’. To start with the one link so many of us share with […]

It’s something of a catchphrase for Spring 2020 (open-ended of course)!

For us runners though it’s not so easy to pop a catch-all catchphrase on to how the lock down is affecting us and our individual and collective psyches’.

To start with the one link so many of us share with each other, the wonderfully connected world of social media, including of course our map of activities done, records broken and collective endeavours completed with friends is now ever so slightly different.

It kinda makes you wonder what we used to use it for doesn’t it? I mean if it’s so vital now we’re socially distanced, what were we doing when we ran together?

I suspect what has actually happened and will I hope be one of the solid outcomes post-C19, is that we will know the true value of social media connection, rather than denigrate those who share, we can connect with a shared understanding of the true value of being social online.

Of course, this isn’t the only impact on runners.

Unfortunately with so many races cancelled or postponed for many it is a period of despondency combined with a feeling that the very warp and weft of what we previously took for granted is now unwoven in front of us.

So what can we realistically do?

How can we take what we’ve been given and make it into something a little more palatable?

In my world, as a professional running coach and someone who organises running holidays, I see many runners looking for alternatives to focus on.

I always want to know your outcome

I always start any conversation with my running clients the same way. I want to know what they want to get out of coaching. And I suggest this is a really good starting point for us runners now.

Instead of focusing on what we don’t have, no race, no idea when we can run with our friends again, we look to understand what we want given these new variables exist.

I know that for some this is an unhappy time, but understanding what you can achieve here (and believe me it’s a great deal) can lift you, and your runnning to a new level.

Ideas time

Let’s start with what I’d say to you if you’d chosen me as your coach.

What is your outcome? So that race you were aiming for – was your outcome just to run it? Or did you have a pace target in mind? If you did, how can you get to that place now and be ready for the time when the race is re-listed?

Consider where you feel there are places you can improve your running

Speed – sometimes when we run with others our speed is actually artificially high, and we would benefit personally from slowing down and building a strong base of slower mileage. This is the time to solidify your new pace in your body (it takes 3 to 4 weeks to re-set your body and mind to a slower pace – use the time you have to do this, see 4 below for a huge reason why you should)

Slow down! Please! over 95% of the runners I’ve coached and taken on running holidays have run either at high intensity or mid intensity. I did it too. It’s usual. But – it is sabotaging your progress as a runner, if you want to get faster it’s holding you back and if you’re happy with your current speed it’s likely to lead you to feeling fatigued and ultimately increase your likelihood of getting injured. If you slow down you WILL get faster, you WILL reduce your injury risk and you WILL see incredible improvements in your running (for less effort)! It’s not often in life we can get results like that.

Fake it. Arrange what us coaches call a simulator race. If you are already in a training period use your existing fitness and hold a simulator race just for you. Treat it like a real race, carb load, work out your nutrition/hydration plan, give thought to your tactics and strategy.

Get ready. Races will be listed again. We know that will happen, for those of you who have a postponed event like Manchester or London marathons, your training should be starting now. You have the added advantage of time, especially if you had started late over winter. Summer training for marathons and a probable cooler race day may give you a personal advantage, and let’s be honest, it might not happen again!

Get a professional opinion. I coach runners online, with weekly be-spoke plans. I do all the work to build you a plan suited to you, I will work with you to achieve your goals and with my experience of running and winning races plus my coaching knowledge you will unquestionably have an advantage over everyone else on the start line.

The most important thing to realise is that feelings of negativity around the current situation (from a runners perspective) can originate because our concrete goals seem to have been taken away, along with our support and/or social network at exactly the same time. It’s a double punch and it’s difficult to understand what the best thing to do is, especially when the people who are like us, are saying the same things – and therefore validating what we already think.

But hopefully what I’ve suggested above gives a new viewpoint, one where we celebrate every single victory, every single run, every single step back towards normality. If we all dedicate oursleves to pushing back the negative, and restoring the positive vision of the future now, we can create it and force out all the bad news.

]]>http://focusedperformance.co.uk/runningsolo/feed/04660Habituating running…and running a marathon in 4 weekshttp://focusedperformance.co.uk/runninghabitsand4weekmarathon/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=runninghabitsand4weekmarathon
http://focusedperformance.co.uk/runninghabitsand4weekmarathon/#respondTue, 20 Aug 2019 10:38:34 +0000http://focusedperformance.co.uk/?p=2977Often we read these incredible stories about runners who’ve committed to extraordinary goals. Sometimes it’s pretty clear that on occaion they would have been better advised not to do it at all, you’ve proably come across people who are contemplating their first ever race with little to no trainng. It reminds me of my training […]

]]>Often we read these incredible stories about runners who’ve committed to extraordinary goals.

Sometimes it’s pretty clear that on occaion they would have been better advised not to do it at all, you’ve proably come across people who are contemplating their first ever race with little to no trainng.

It reminds me of my training over the last decade running and racing mountain ultras, often I would meet people in the hills who asked my advice on the route to a certain peak.

Was that a bad thing necessarily?

To me it wasn’t – because they were actually asking for advice or help, rather than taking a risk without information to help. They proactively took action to increase their chances of reaching the summit.

Then it was down to me, I needed to make multiple decisions based on whether I thought they were in a good place to reach the summit, based upon their perceived ability, what the forecast weather conditions indicated and their navigational skills, amognst others.

Obviously, for most of these factors I wouldn’t have much of an indication, their navigational skill level for example – so I’d ask questions, get feedback and add that to my risk and decision making thought process.

So, how does this relate to a four week marathon, or whatever the challenging running goal might be?

Firstly, I am not advocating anyone tries to train for 4 weeks prior to a marathon, but you get what I’m driving at.

Often we hear about people who are aiming for something challenging, and with a lack of knowledge in a key area could be putting themselves in harms way.

What’s the best response?

Well on social media I always think it’s about being nice, if we were sitting in a coffee shop with them, how would we talk them through it?

Interstingly, this is exactly where habituation comes in.

You see, the 4 week marathon example is an extreme.

It’s unlikely, even with determination and strong commitment you’ll do anything other than achieve injury and fatigue.

But if we approached habitituation in a different, more measured and realistic way, we can set up habits that help, that set positivity into our training and that help us understand what we are capable of.

What do I mean?

Well, take those same 4 weeks, and instead work on a short, easy run to the end of your road, or to a particlular point that you can run too that’s easy enough for you.

If you’re an experienced runner, then the task might be a little more challenging, but it does need to be achieveable, otherwise commitment and motivation start to drop.

This is the power of habituation, the setting up of a system that really builds a positive result, and catapults you into a more positive way of thinking about your running.

]]>http://focusedperformance.co.uk/runninghabitsand4weekmarathon/feed/02977More miles? Have your legs had enough?http://focusedperformance.co.uk/more-miles-have-your-legs-had-enough/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=more-miles-have-your-legs-had-enough
http://focusedperformance.co.uk/more-miles-have-your-legs-had-enough/#respondSun, 13 Jan 2019 01:52:22 +0000http://focusedperformance.co.uk/?p=1307I’ve been asked by a number of the runners I coach, and on some of my runners workshops recently, how many miles they can build up to within a certain period of time. This is an interesting question and one that will inevitably differ depending on the runner asking it. However there are some really […]

]]>I’ve been asked by a number of the runners I coach, and on some of my runners workshops recently, how many miles they can build up to within a certain period of time.

This is an interesting question and one that will inevitably differ depending on the runner asking it.

However there are some really important elements to increasing mileage that will apply to you and indeed almost every other runner, because they are vital to enable your body to cope with the increase safely and without injury. In the main your body must be able to cope with any increase, and there are things you should do in advance to prepare for any such increase.

I’ve listed these here:

Rest more effectively. Running on it’s own isn’t where you make the gains in fitness – it’s when you stop running and you recover through rest that your body starts to rebuild. Continuing to run will simply add more stress, which in some cases can be a useful tactical training tool, your coach should advise you when to do this for the absolutely maximal effect.

Get strong. I hold strength workshops for runners, why? Because these help build strength within your body but not only that, done right, with a targeted approach to strength training you can tie together the chains of muscles that can then be relied upon to deliver increases in performance, give you a stability you’ve never experienced before and allow you to increase mileage safely.

Be prepared. In fact there are a couple of parts to this. The first is to ensure you are following a thorough and effective warm up routine – if you haven’t yet read my ebook The Runners Guide to Injury Free Running, then do please download a free copy from my website www.focusedperformance.co.uk the second is to prepare with a good stretching routine that targets the appropriate muscles and aids their recovery.

So once you’ve made sure that your running week includes all of the above, and that you’re not already suffering with an injury what next?

First – stay injury free by keeping your increases to around 10%. There are many different opinions about why you can increase more, or why you should arrange mileage differently, but my approach is one of carefully listening. What is your body telling you, is the increase feeling ok? If so continue the next week, if not reduce or add a rest day.

Second – only increase for 3 weeks on the run. Every 4th week should see a reduction in your mileage and intensity. This is so important, no matter the distance of race you might be training for, ease back every fourth week. It allows extra recovery to take place and ensures you peak ready for a super performance on race day. It also helps lower injury risk, another really important reminder that we should aim to focus on incremental gains, rather than an all out, or big bang approach.

Third- try using a training log or app to record the details of your runs, note down anything and everything that you feel is important to your running progress.

How does this run feel?

What was my increase in distance?

What was last weeks distance?

Did that work ok?

What was the weather like?

Did a particular type of weather slow you down, or did you see a speed improvement?

Did you run on your own or with anyone else? How did you feel that affected your performance?

What trainers did you use?

Etc…

You can see from all of the above that there’s a lot to take into account when thinking about increasing your mileage.

]]>http://focusedperformance.co.uk/more-miles-have-your-legs-had-enough/feed/01307Mindfulness and Runninghttp://focusedperformance.co.uk/mindfulness/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mindfulness
http://focusedperformance.co.uk/mindfulness/#commentsFri, 07 Dec 2018 12:24:32 +0000http://focusedperformance.co.uk/?p=1230Have you wondered how to make each run as fun and enjoyable as your very first few runs? Or maybe you’ve heard about the state of mind some runners talk about, called Flow? Perhaps you already practise mindfulness and would like to find practical ways of applying it to your running? […]

]]>Have you wondered how to make each run as fun and enjoyable as your very first few runs?

Or maybe you’ve heard about the state of mind some runners talk about, called Flow?

Perhaps you already practise mindfulness and would like to find practical ways of applying it to your running?

If any of the above have got you thinking you’d like to know more about mindfulness and running then I’m really pleased to tell you that this article is going to shed some light on this.
Many of us have heard of mindfulness, that you can achieve a better quality of running in your life, and maybe a better quality of life as a result of running mindfully.

My own eureka moment came about because I was curious.
I’d worked for several years on improving my own running training, working out how the elite professional runners trained, how to avoid injury, how to build a really effective training program that any runner could use.

Once I’d developed this I kept on finessing and improving it but the more I worked on this physical aspect the more I realised there was a disaparity – I hadn’t worked on the mental side of my training.

So I went in search of anything I could find to see how really successful runners achived peak mental fitness.
What I found surprised me.

Mainly because there was a distinct shortage of quality information out there on this topic. Initially I found a smattering of psychology books which were applicable to sports, which led me to sports psychology literature more specifically, but still there was so little to really benefit the runner.

It was only when I started to give thought to mindfulness meditation in my life more generally that I started to understand that it might also apply to running.

Then came my eureka moment.

I was driving along the M6 motorway, a journey at this point that I’d been taking daily for several years, when I became aware of my self (split intentional) and how calm this particular experience of driving was.
Calmness I should point out hadn’t always been a driving companion of mine, I wasn’t what you might call an agressive or angry driver, but I had been feeling more and more over the preceeding months that small things bothered me more on this journey, quite often I realised afterwards just how silly or irrelevant they were, but at the time they filled my thoughts.

I shifted from being interested in mindfulness to realising just how incredibly powerful it could be.
This for me was a paradigm shift. I now understood the possible impact of mindfulness in so many areas of my life.

After all, if this was the impact from just a couple of months, what could I achieve with a more committed practice?

Which brings me round to my earlier point about how you can utilise mindfulness during your runs.

You might well ask how can an activity which requires physical effort also neatly allow for a practice which requires you to focus your mind, and aim for clarity.
In order to answer this we need to dig a little deeper, to focus in on what running and mindfulness encourage of us.
In essence both allow for singularity of effort, in running when we are asked to give either through the application of speed or endurance our bodies and mind unify in one endeavour.
As we attempt to attain mindfulness we equally commit ourselves to a singularity of effort, that of focussing the mind.

I’m really interested in the subject of mindulness and running, if you are too then get in touch – I’d be interested in hearing your experiences and what you’re interested in reading more about in future articles on this subject.

]]>http://focusedperformance.co.uk/mindfulness/feed/21230How can you fit it all in?http://focusedperformance.co.uk/how-can-you-fit-it-all-in/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-can-you-fit-it-all-in
http://focusedperformance.co.uk/how-can-you-fit-it-all-in/#respondTue, 17 Oct 2017 18:43:23 +0000http://focusedperformance.co.uk/?p=985The Opportunity Cost We’re all familiar with the opportunity cost of doing one thing, which prohibits us from doing another. It’s one of those economic arguments that mean to have one thing, we necessarily can’t have another. So as runners it’s interesting that we start with the very aim of achievening exactly this. We create […]

We’re all familiar with the opportunity cost of doing one thing, which prohibits us from doing another.

It’s one of those economic arguments that mean to have one thing, we necessarily can’t have another.
So as runners it’s interesting that we start with the very aim of achievening exactly this.

We create a training plan based on the premise that we will gain speed, build our endurance and help us to run for longer distances.

Naturally, these varied outcomes require very different sacrifices from us, but nonetheless we commit to these multifaceted goals.
If we also factor in injury prevention and performance nutrition we’re doing better than many other runners.

But the amazing thing is we have one huge advantage over those runners who trained in the years before us. We have the benefit of a mass of accumulated knowledge.

Thanks to this we can increase our performance and keep ourselves free of injury (if you haven’t already, take advantage of my ebook The Runners Guide to Injury Free Running) we are incredibly fortunate because of the large amount of work already completed for us, by scientists and elite runners.

This allows us insight into the best training methodologies, and if we keep up to date we can continue to advance our own performance beyond our competitors on race day.

If you’d like more information on improving your marathon, or other distance by using your weekly long run more effectively, click here to read an article I wrote to help you achieve exactly that.

]]>http://focusedperformance.co.uk/how-can-you-fit-it-all-in/feed/0985Passion? You need to stop looking for ithttp://focusedperformance.co.uk/passion-need-stop-looking/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=passion-need-stop-looking
http://focusedperformance.co.uk/passion-need-stop-looking/#commentsWed, 27 Sep 2017 18:10:43 +0000http://focusedperformance.co.uk/?p=975Passion – are you searching for it? Have you ever taken the journey into work first thing on a Monday and thought you needed a chaange of scenery, to get out there and find something you’re passionate about? Ever thought about that while running? What do I mean? Well I guess it’s that search for […]

Have you ever taken the journey into work first thing on a Monday and thought you needed a chaange of scenery, to get out there and find something you’re passionate about?

Ever thought about that while running?

What do I mean? Well I guess it’s that search for better results in your favourite race, or maybe it’s trying to increase your pace, to stop thinking of yourself as a beginner, or to enjoy running more, or to get fitter….the list goes on, and is utterly personal.

What is it that pushes us? What is the driving force? Actually it’s the thing we’ve been looking for. It’s passion. It’s what keeps us coming back for more, and what’s missing when we no longer find running fun. Get back to the basics of running, straight out of the front door, onto the road or through the forest, up the mountain and run. No technology, just you and the run.

]]>http://focusedperformance.co.uk/passion-need-stop-looking/feed/2975The Bangor 10K, hunting that personal besthttp://focusedperformance.co.uk/bangor-10k/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bangor-10k
http://focusedperformance.co.uk/bangor-10k/#respondTue, 26 Sep 2017 21:30:29 +0000http://focusedperformance.co.uk/?p=959This is an article I wrote in 2015 after I ran the Bangor 10K as my first proper 10K race. It was a fabulous experience, and one I hope to repeat. Race day arrived on a Saturday in October, I drove down to Bangor. Leaving the car and moving through the competitors I stood […]

]]>This is an article I wrote in 2015 after I ran the Bangor 10K as my first proper 10K race. It was a fabulous experience, and one I hope to repeat.

Race day arrived on a Saturday in October, I drove down to Bangor. Leaving the car and moving through the competitors I stood stationary, packed in with strangers standing all around.

Some had already worked out what they needed to do – get to the front before the race started, easier than it sounded, we were fairly tightly packed in and room for manoeuvre was limited and, as more people came up from the back, the rows of runners in front closed in on each other. I settled for staying where I was and doing some more stretches, moving my legs and trying to keep myself mobile.

As the clock ticked down the announcer started to speak, I’d love to be able to recall what he said, unfortunately I can’t, as I couldn’t understand a word of the jumbled noise that was coming through the speakers, the PA system needed a bit of an upgrade – a bit like the signs to the toilets in the nearby shopping centre! When you walked through past the shops there wasn’t a clue where to find them, eventually I reached a lift, but this said the toilets were one floor up and the lift indicated it only went down. So naturally I opened the door for the stairs, which also only went down.

Confusion reigned as a group of runners all ready to go, were now in an equal state of frustration. It was only upon entering the lift and inspecting the buttons, that I found it did indeed go up a floor! What a crazy system.

But I digress, back on the starting line the horn had sounded and we were off, slowly for the first couple of seconds, the bodies in front of me started to move faster, suddenly we were away and I remembered advice from a friend:

“Always run your own race”

So I looked at my watch and kept the pace around 7 minute miles, a little slower than I’d wanted, but given the toilet search had taken up more time than expected I’d not been able to warm up properly and didn’t want to risk injury or anything else that might slow me down today.

The town centre slipped by quickly, I was concentrating on dodging the runners around me, some I overtook, and some overtook me, one lady was stopped by a garden gate, holding on with one hand and shaking her trainer with the other to get some stones out, I felt for her, lost time can’t be a good thing in a race.

Soon enough I was out on Bangor Pier, and nearing the first mile I was locked in behind a chap who must have been doing a few seconds faster than my pace, I decided as we turned to run back that it was time to step up to my normal 10K pace so I pushed on, passing him and then slowly overtaking some others, we reached the A5 and followed this up hill, to turn off and then on the Sustrans route 5, out into the local woodland – we would shortly turn back around and retrace the route into town, but this part of the route was tricky to read, up to this point I had the advantage of having been out on the route previously in a recce, however this part hadn’t been accesible, and I knew from the route profile that there were a couple of rises to come so I kept my pace around the higher end of where I wanted it.

Once the town centre came back into view I felt that it was time to push my pace, but at that moment a weird feeling of lethargy hit me, why not walk was the initial thought, which really surprised me, I knew I could run at this pace and for this distance, I’d done it, so why question myself?

I did my best to stop that thought and instead concentrated on getting into the town. From here my pace quickened and crossing the line, I found no other runners around, it was a great feeling, my time, 42 minutes which I was really pleased with, I reckon there is definite room for improvement too!

]]>http://focusedperformance.co.uk/bangor-10k/feed/0959How your brain changes when you runhttp://focusedperformance.co.uk/brain-changes-run/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=brain-changes-run
http://focusedperformance.co.uk/brain-changes-run/#respondThu, 07 Sep 2017 18:32:53 +0000http://focusedperformance.co.uk/?p=938Writing a book very often requires research. The form that research takes however, can be diverse, very diverse indeed. Let’s look at a book I’m currently writing, on nutrition for runners, within that envelope I’ve come across all manner of different pieces of utterly fascinating research, whether that’s the benefit of beetroot, to how the […]

]]>Writing a book very often requires research. The form that research takes however, can be diverse, very diverse indeed.

Let’s look at a book I’m currently writing, on nutrition for runners, within that envelope I’ve come across all manner of different pieces of utterly fascinating research, whether that’s the benefit of beetroot, to how the body uses different types of carbohydrate to increase the energy available to keep you moving.

However, one area that has cropped up, and inspired me to delve far more deeply was that of the brain.

Fascinating doesn’t, in fact, come close.

Just a few facts about the brain then:

The brain changes the more you do something. Spend time running, playing tennis, driving? The brain changes as you build stronger and stronger connections. And on this point I had my own eureka moment earlier today. You see when I’m out there, running in the mountains, the more regularly I run on the rough and rocky terrain of Snowdonia, the more comfortable I get. I hadn’t realised until today, but it was this repetition that caused neural connections in my brain to be created, and with more and more time spent doing this, the more my brain became wired to carry out the task. The more used to it I became, the easier it became – if you’d like more information on running as a brand new runner, or perhaps you’d like to review some best practice and tips for improving your running, then take a look at my complete guide here

Your brain is flexible, and changes. Physically. The more you practice something, the more time you spend in the doing, all of this physically changes the brain.

Deciding how to respond in a challenging situation, where a number of possible responses are presented, can be tricky. How do our brains tackle this and choose so quickly? The brains of those who are more experienced in certain areas, such as sports, tend to generate less options than those who aren’t as experienced. Then quite often the brain chooses the first option

I really find this area of research truly incredible. Our brains are responsible for so much of our running success. Learning how to help other runners benefit from using their brains, in better ways, to improve their running is something that I believe is yet another way of increasing our performance advantage.

]]>http://focusedperformance.co.uk/brain-changes-run/feed/0938Are you still accepting injury?http://focusedperformance.co.uk/still-getting-injured/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=still-getting-injured
http://focusedperformance.co.uk/still-getting-injured/#respondThu, 04 May 2017 17:05:26 +0000http://focusedperformance.co.uk/?p=872Injured? It’s time to look inward. Lots of you know me from my social media work and from racing, and you’ll already know I’m working on performance improvement for all runners. One of the principal areas that runners can make strategic changes resulting in immediate improvements, is to focus in on injury prevention. […]

It’s time to look inward.

Lots of you know me from my social media work and from racing, and you’ll already know I’m working on performance improvement for all runners.

One of the principal areas that runners can make strategic changes resulting in immediate improvements, is to focus in on injury prevention.

Here’s what’s surprising though, very often these aren’t obvious, and many runners miss out on really significant improvements in endurance and speed simply because they’re not aware that shifting focus can make a huge difference.

I’m passionate about changing that and providing the right information to make performance gains.

You’ll already have seen my article on getting awesome results from your 10K – but if you haven’t here is the link Time for an awesome 10K

In that article I don’t just give you lots of info, I also go deep with a training schedule to build strength and then provide an embedded YouTube link to my tips on building better hill repeats. Why?

All of this builds endurance through strength, it builds speed through strength. These are part of the injury avoidance process. If you build in strength you add resistance and that means less injury.

So what else can you do to help with this? Here are my immediate takeaways to help with injury avoidance right now:

Warm up. Every run. No excuses

No stretching immediately before a run, your muscles aren’t ready – walk, then slow jog, then build up (slowly). Want more advice on warm ups? Pop your email in to the box at the end of this article or in the box at the top and I’ll send you my amazon top 10 ebook on Injury Free Running – absolutely free

Want to run fast every run? Want to stay injury free? It’s time to chose one or the other. Don’t get me wrong, speed workouts are essential, just not in every run. Think around 1 speed session a week if you’re running 3 or 4 times per week

Love road? That’s good, but treadmills don’t need to be full of dread, they tend to be a little softer underfoot and you can really, really, easily build speed sessions on them too

Cool down, just like the warm up this is so important and I recommend that you start by slowing down, don’t skimp here, whether you’re on the road or treadmill. Move into some jumping jacks then stretches. This is modelled on techniques I’ve found some of the elite athletes using. We might not have the time available that they commit to cooling down, but that doesn’t mean we can’t benefit

So that’s a good starting point. Keep these up and right away you’ll have done more than most to reduce your injury risk.

Would you like to learn even more about making changes to your running that will really give you performance improvements? Then pop your email over to me in the box below, I’ll send you my ebook full of practical and easy to implement tips AND I’ll add you to my email course too, again there is no charge for this, you receive 6 emails on moving your running from 5K to 10K in a very practical way.

Keep running injury free, Geoff

For other helpful articles subscribe to my blog, and join YOUR running coach group on facebook for a community of like minded runners working to share the best info out there for other runners.

]]>http://focusedperformance.co.uk/still-getting-injured/feed/0872When do you want to start running?http://focusedperformance.co.uk/start-running/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=start-running
http://focusedperformance.co.uk/start-running/#respondSun, 26 Feb 2017 22:28:01 +0000http://focusedperformance.co.uk/?p=844When do you want to start? For lots of runners knowing where to start (and how) can be a tricky problem. I get it, for many of us starting out as a runner isn’t easy – there isn’t a ‘beginners training plan’ not everyone has a group of friends who are already running to go […]

For lots of runners knowing where to start (and how) can be a tricky problem.

I get it, for many of us starting out as a runner isn’t easy –

there isn’t a ‘beginners training plan’

not everyone has a group of friends who are already running to go along with

we might have a group of running friends, but we’re worried that they’re just too fast

we’re not sure which trainers to buy, never mind any other gear

(for help on choosing new running shoes check out my quick and easy strategies for getting the best fit for you – and avoiding injuries whilst you’re doing so here)

So how do we get out there?

Well here is my super easy to follow guide that should take the guesswork out and give you a good foundation from which you can build on.

What’s your goal?

Yep, even beginners need something to aim for. I know that some folks think just going for an occasional run is sufficient reason in itself (and that does work initially), but if you want lasting change or achievement you need to get specific.

So don’t skimp on this step, it’s really important, give it some thought, you might have more than one reason, that’s fine too!

Where are you right now?

The next step is to work out exactly where you’re starting from.

Get this sorted out in your mind and it’ll help you to work out the gap – that’s the gap between where you are and where you want to get to. You can then decide how long it might take to bridge the two and close in on your goal.

Here are my quick and easy tips for sorting this in no time

Look for the following:

Have you run before or are you a brand new runner?

What distance can you currently run? (don’t worry if the answer is nothing)

What other exersice if any do you do right now?

Where will you find time to run? (this is really important because it makes you really think about how realistic your goals are) e.g running a marathon is a worthy goal to set, but to really run one with limited injury risk, and record a reasonable time you’ll need to be running upwards of 3 times a week (probably) and one of those will most likely be a fairly long run.

What motivates you about running? Why?

What do I do with all this info?

So by now you’ll know what you’re aiming for, how far away from that point you currently are, how much of your time is committed to other activities and how much running time you have available and you’ll know a bit more about your personal motivations when it comes to running (yep, this is all the good stuff that a quality running coach should be asking you).

What are your next steps?

Well preparing a plan is super useful, it will be your roadmap to get you where you want to be.

If you’ve read my blog for a while then you’ll know I’m big on giving you the things that you’d expect to pay for – so get in touch if you’d like some training plan advice and I’ll happily help. (For free).

Have a look at my Complete Guide for New Runnershereit’s jam packed full of useful information.

If you like to go it alone then please do your reserach, it’s taken me a fair few years to understand the dynamics of running training, and I’m always learning. It’s not an overnight process by any means but you’ve got to start running somewhere so remember:

Don’t overtrain, in other words too much running and too little recovery

Don’t run injured – take time out to assess what’s happened, what’s caused your injury, why/how?

Do you know what types of run you should be doing?

Don’t forget speed work, but don’t run every run at a mid or high intensity, keep it low intensity for the most part

]]>http://focusedperformance.co.uk/start-running/feed/0844It’s the small things that impact!http://focusedperformance.co.uk/thankfullness/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=thankfullness
http://focusedperformance.co.uk/thankfullness/#commentsFri, 10 Feb 2017 16:37:16 +0000http://focusedperformance.co.uk/?p=831Here’s something that might not inspire you…..the expression it’s time to take stock. I’m currently on the train travelling up from London and the opportunity has popped up for me to write this post, it wasn’t planned it just presented itself. You might be wondering where I’m going with this, well it comes down to […]

]]>Here’s something that might not inspire you…..the expression it’s time to take stock.

I’m currently on the train travelling up from London and the opportunity has popped up for me to write this post, it wasn’t planned it just presented itself.

You might be wondering where I’m going with this, well it comes down to looking around and being thankful I guess.

This week has been pretty hectic, building some plans for a number of runners, both on road and in the mountains, giving out advice online and working almost everyday on my new free email course – 5K to 10K transition, more details available for subscribers at www.focusedperformance.co.uk so please do check that out if you’d like to smash your 10K – but during all of this I’ve noticed that many times it’s the little things that keep the smile on my face.

Very often all we have to do is remember there are so many things that make a huge difference to how we view our world.

As runners we’re pretty darn lucky I reckon, having the chance most days to get out and fulfill our own passion, how many folks can truly say that?

I know I feel immense gratitude for the opportunity to be out running, and it’s good to recall these positives.

Wherever you’re running this weekend I hope you have a great one folks, enjoy!

]]>http://focusedperformance.co.uk/thankfullness/feed/28315K to 10K Transition Planhttp://focusedperformance.co.uk/5k-to-10k-transition-plan/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=5k-to-10k-transition-plan
http://focusedperformance.co.uk/5k-to-10k-transition-plan/#commentsSat, 04 Feb 2017 21:38:44 +0000http://focusedperformance.co.uk/?p=800Hi! If you read my blog at Focusedperformance then you’ll know I love to help people run, regardless of where they are right now. I’m Geoff and I’m a British Athletics Running Coach and I’ve written a top 10 amazon ebook called The Runners Guide to Injury Free Running. The thing is there are […]

Hi! If you read my blog at Focusedperformance then you’ll know I love to help people run, regardless of where they are right now.

I’m Geoff and I’m a British Athletics Running Coach and I’ve written a top 10 amazon ebook called The Runners Guide to Injury Free Running.

The thing is there are so many runners out there, and so many people who want to either become a runner or just get fitter, that don’t have access to the right help and advice, the best tips and strategies.

Maybe you’re always getting injured? Perhaps you’re just starting out and you’re not sure how to train effectively? Maybe you want a plan that is designed around you rather than a one size which doesn’t suit anyone?

Would you love to accomplish your goals at getting fitter or improving your speed, or just crossing the finish line?

It’s time for solutions!

Everything you need to move into the 10K

My 5K to 10K Transition plan is designed to give you everything you could possibly need to get to the start line in the best shape, with the best strategies for success and be tailored to exactly what you want.

It Includes:

Access to the online facebook community

A full 10K plan

A full transition plan to get you 10K ready

Email contact directly with me to answer any questions you have and to help you get the most out of your training

Extra content that isn’t included in the 5K to 10K email course

Videos not available anywhere else that will help you with warm ups and cool downs, plus balance and coordination exercises

And all this for a one off fee for only £29.99!

Does the idea of a 10K feel like it’s out of your reach?

It really doesn’t matter if you’re a new or an experienced runner, I’ll help you achieve your 10K goals, or just help you get there, which ever it is for you.

You’ll have access to our online community of runners, where you’ll have loads of support and advice from runners who share your passion for running and are on hand to help keep you on course for success, want to ask a question? Need someone who’s been through exactly what you’re going through? Want a group of runners to help motivate you? Then this is the group for you!

I’ll design a full 10K plan for you to work towards, built around your specific needs. Think about this – generic plans online are great if you want generic results, but they can never be as flexible as a personalised plan built around your body, your needs, your fitness and your race requirements.

I’ll send you a questionnaire that will help me to design a plan to make sure you can run injury free, including warm ups that are prepared exactly for you, all of your workouts will be prepared out in advance and if you miss one (or two!) then just let me know.

I’ll do all the hard work, all you need to do is run – and that’s the fun bit right?

Generic plans can’t factor in extra runs for when you just feel like going for it, they can’t advise you on exactly how much rest you need because you ended up doing an extra run in any given week, or you decided to go for a cycle ride, or add in the extra intensity of a spin class – I can, and I’ll do all of that for no extra charge to you.

So you’ve not yet taken that first step towards your 5K, maybe you’ve got a couch to 5K app? No problem – I’ll design a plan that will be fitted exactly around where you are now (it really doesn’t matter if you’ve never run before) and help you get to the end of your couch to 5K. Bonus – (I’ll even provide you with guidance, support and extra advice to help you get the most out of your C25K – over and above the assistance you get with the app itself) and this is totally FREE, included in the package.

Do you enjoy chatting to other folks about your runs? Do you wish you had someone to give you feedback on how things have gone against your plan? Would you like that person to be a fully qualified British Athletics Running Coach? Then I’m very happy to tell you that you can have all of this included in the package.

Did you enjoy my 5K to 10K Transition course? Want some extra content that wasn’t included? Some really useful, actionable tips and strategies? Ok, I’ll include that too!

What will you get?

How about:

Nutrition advice for race day

My quick and easy tips to improve your speed (in less than 3 workouts per week)

Gear advice

And what to do (and not to do) on race day

Ps. I’ll include the email 5K to 10K transition course as well, if you haven’t already received it!

Do you learn best from video? That’s ok too, I’ll send you several videos that give advice from warm up, help on balance and coordination exercises to the cool down right at the end of your workout.

How to get your 5K to 10K Transition package

I’ll then produce your training plan within a week and you start training! Plus you’ll receive the other good stuff detailed above as your plan progresses, direct to your inbox! You don’t have to request anything, it’s all done by me.

Get the 5K to 10K Transition plan

Thanks for getting a 5K to 10K Transition plan with me, I’m really excited about helping you to achieve your goals.

I think you’ll agree there is a lot of value here already, I’ve designed this 5K to 10K transition package to give you everything that you need, whether you’re a new runner with no runs under your belt, right through to someone who’s experienced at 5K and wants to move on, BUT I’m not happy until you’re happy so…

Satisfaction Guaranteed

If you find this package doesn’t help you run the 10K of your target race, then I’ll refund IN FULL your £29.99 with no questions asked. Yes, that’s right, the guarantee lasts until your 10K race, no 30 or even 60 day guarantees here.

Simple.

My reputation as a coach is built on my results, so if you don’t get results then I don’t want you to pay me.

Finally, just in case you were wondering what else I could add in for some extra value, I’ll also send you screen shots of any of the balance, coordination and agility drills if you prefer pictures to help train with – and yes, this is totally free of charge!